Christmas at Concordia Afterparty brings more than 70 students together to celebrate music-making
Photo credit: Maximus Fritsche
By Maximus Fritsche
The first annual Christmas at Concordia Afterparty on Dec. 4 brought more than 70 students to J-Top for a night of karaoke, mocktail drinks and board games in celebration of the student musicians preparing for three more concerts over the weekend.
Director of Student Life Anna Stumpf said the event brought students together to destress and keep the party going after the first CAC concert, rather than going to bed.
“It was a very well-rounded event with plenty of food, drinks, fun, and excitement that everyone on campus was welcome to participate in,” Stumpf said. “We wanted students to be able to leave the excitement of Christmas at Concordia and immediately be hit with even more excitement, instead of leaving and just going to bed.”
Whether laughing with friends, singing karaoke or sipping mocktails served from the 10:31 counter, students said they enjoyed the community of the night.
“I really enjoyed listening to the music and being able to see several students come together and celebrate Christmas with drinks, food, and fun,” said sophomore Sierra McElhannon, who helped organize the refreshments and games. “We should totally do something like this again.”
Students sang karaoke songs from artists like Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé as their peers watched and cheered.
“Whether or not something like that happens again, being able to see how many students enjoyed themselves, singing and laughing, is enough for me,” said senior Nathan Kurth. “The only thing I could change is that we could have even more games and more food.”
Stumpf said the Winter Wonderland-themed afterparty took about a month to plan, and the Student Life Office staff and Student Activities Council put a lot of effort into activities to keep students engaged.
“It took us about two hours to make sure that J-Top looked perfect,” she said.
Student organizers included McElhannon, Kurth, junior Ethan Reynolds, sophomore Anna Pennekamp and sophomore Brianna Burns.
